


Lost but not Alone

by SonneKa



Series: KomaHina Secret Exchange [4]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Drowning, Mentions of Starvation, Merman Nagito Komaeda, Shipwrecked Hajime Hinata, but don't worry, it's all pretty light, they're not graphic I swear, this is so weird to tag ugh, trust me - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:28:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22697896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonneKa/pseuds/SonneKa
Summary: "Just an hour ago, Hajime Hinata was having fun on a big ship, one of the best summer holidays of his life along with his parents. And then… He didn’t even know what had happened, but the enormous ship was on fire, he was lucky enough to find one of the lifeguard boats and escape the death that was awaiting him on that sinking disaster. Even so, he was the only one who made it to the boats. Nobody else was alive. And although he felt lucky about it… What was better? Being all alone but alive? Or being dead?"Shipwrecked!Hinata and Merman!KomaedaFrom one of the many KomaHina Secret Exchanges (I think it was from last year at least???). Never published it here but now I finally found some time to do so!
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito
Series: KomaHina Secret Exchange [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2031142
Comments: 2
Kudos: 56





	Lost but not Alone

Fast. 

It all had been so fast. 

Just an hour ago, Hajime Hinata was having fun on a big ship, one of the best summer holidays of his life along with his parents. And then... He didn't even know what had happened, but the enormous ship was on fire, he was lucky enough to find one of the lifeguard boats and escape the death that was awaiting him on that sinking disaster. Even so, he was the only one who made it to the boats. Nobody else was alive. And although he felt lucky about it... What was better? Being all alone but alive? Or being dead? 

The boat grew apart from the now destroyed ship. And as it became farther away, Hinata's heart started to thump faster. 

So fast... 

He realized, maybe later than he should have, that there was no turning back. He was lost in the middle of the sea, nowhere to go. Only the sound of the waves crashing on the boat's side could be heard, only sea could be found in his field of vision. 

He was lost... 

So lost... 

Panicking wasn't something that could be useful at all. But, even so, Hinata couldn't help feeling scared. 

* * *

As days passed by, little by little Hinata felt weaker. Weaker and weaker, and kind of hopeless too. Yeah, he still had some water to drink and food. But he felt so bad that he couldn’t even think of that, no matter how much he needed it to survive, he just wouldn’t like wasting it. 

After all, how much longer did he have to wait? Was there something he could hold on to? A ship passing by to rescue him? An island not so far from there? 

Was there any hope he could really hold on to? 

It was getting boring to sleep all day long watching the waves crashing into the boat, watching the sky changing its colours during the day, and seeing the few little clouds moving slowly. He had to give thanks that those past few days the weather had been nice to him and to his little boat. 

Maybe that boat was the only hope he could hold on to at the moment, nothing else mattered anyway. After all, he was alive. 

Alive. 

And thinking about that made him sad because the loneliness was creeping into him too much. It felt really lonely not being able to talk to anyone… 

No matter how much someone could enjoy being alone, being lonely was one of the biggest emptiness someone could ever feel. 

Hinata sighed and, once again, started to fall sleep. It wasn’t like he was tired, but boredom was killing him and… What else could he do besides sleeping? 

Eyes closed again, only the sound of waves could be heard. Maybe at first that kind of sound calmed him down but right now he was pretty tired of it, as if he was listening to the same song on loop over and over again without being able to stop it. It was so annoying. 

Suddenly, something about the waves seemed off. First, there were a few splashes of water bothering him, and it had never happened before. He tried to ignore it but, in an attempt to go back to sleep, it happened again. 

Something hit the boat pretty hard, as much as to make Hinata avoid ignoring what was going on. He thought that maybe some aggressive fishes lingered that zone, and that maybe he could catch those fishes somehow. He tilted his head towards the sea, narrowing his tired eyes so he could somehow try to see something. But in the end, it seemed to be nothing. 

Was he going crazy? After three days lost maybe that was what was supposed to happen. Well, thinking like that wouldn’t help him too much either. But… How was he supposed to feel then? 

“Hm… It seems you’re pretty lost, aren’t you?” 

Hinata froze. His whole back shuddered and, finally, he didn’t feel tired at all. He heard a voice… He was sure it was _someone_ ’s voice calling him. Was he finally going to be saved? Right now? A rush of happiness surrounded him for a second. 

Obviously, that second didn’t last too much. After all, where could that voice come from if he was certain that no land and no ship was near? 

Under the pressure of not knowing what to think at all, he turned around at where the voice was coming from. 

And, after that, he couldn’t help feeling confused. 

“It seems you really are lost… It’s hopeless, isn’t it?” There was someone showing up from one side of the boat. A pale boy of white hair and green eyes was staring back at him, a little grin showing on his face. 

“How…? When…?” Actually, Hinata had no words. There was no reason for another human to be there. In the middle of the sea, just as alone as him… 

There was no way another human would survive like that. 

… 

Human… 

“What are you?” He demanded, frowning. His voice didn’t sound like he was used to, maybe not talking to anyone for so long was getting him really sick. Maybe even his mind right now was playing him some tricks. 

“Me? Oh, well…” the other boy laughed, “I would say… I’m just a merman.” 

… 

“A what?” Hinata blinked a few times, a confused look showing on his face. Did he really hear well? 

“Oh, I’m sorry to confuse you… Well, that’s a common response a poorly human like you would come up with actually,” a hint of annoyance could be heard on the other’s voice, as if he wanted to provoke Hinata somehow. 

“Excuse me?” He couldn’t help feeling pissed off about what had been said. “Who do you think you—?” 

And he didn’t even have time to finish talking, the other just seemed to ignore him, diving again underwater. Showing a big fish tail as he was going down… 

Was it actually true? 

Well, in any case, why wouldn’t it be true? After all, he was lost in the middle of the sea and there was no way someone would play him a prank in a place like that. 

“What the…” his heart started pounding, he didn’t believe his own eyes. Suddenly, all the boredom and tiredness disappeared. But he didn’t panic, he didn’t think it was worth panicking about something like that. It was more like… astonishment. 

“Well, I saw many of you in situations like yours,” the merman appeared on the opposite side of the boat he showed up first from. “I have to admit, you have something different from them.” 

“Different?” Hinata turned around, facing the merman once again. 

“I mean, every single man before you tried to catch me… I don’t know, maybe it was probably to eat me?” Hinata raised an eyebrow. “I don’t blame them, they were probably pretty desperate at that point and saw in me the hope of surviving a little bit more.” 

“A little bit…?” Hinata shuddered, cold air running down his spine. It’d been days and there was no sign of dry land, how could he know there was a way out of his situation? 

“It seems you haven’t been lost for so long, have you? Actually, you seem to be impressively calm about this whole situation… That’s amazing!” 

_Calm?_

No, he wasn’t calm. He was just tired. 

There was no way panicking would help him so he just waited for, literally, anything to happen… 

“But feeling like that it’s also bad, you know?” The merman started swimming around the boat while he was speaking, as if he was enjoying the whole conversation. 

“What do you mean?” And even if Hinata felt kind of pissed off, there was no way he would deny any kind of conversation. 

“I mean…” he stopped and stared at the lost human right in the eyes, “If you don’t panic, nor want to get something to live, anything, desperately… It means you lost all hope.” 

“I…” 

Well, he wasn’t wrong. After all, what kind of hope could he feel in that situation? He was all alone, every single other person on the same ship as him died and now he was the only one lost… 

Probably there was no one looking for him. No, it was actually a fact. 

After thinking about that, about all the possibilities, there was no room for panic. An if there was no panic, hope didn’t exist either. 

Even so, there was no way he would admit that to someone who referred to him as a “poorly human”. And not only that, he just didn’t trust their conversation at all. Hinata frowned, he still felt very conscious and wouldn’t let anyone drown him that easily. 

“What do you want?” he asked without any kind of hesitation. The merman blinked a few times repeatedly, he seemed surprised. 

“Oh, you didn’t let me explain myself,” he started swimming around again, “I just want to know how far you’ll go… Is that something bad?” 

“How far I’ll go?” Hinata’s teeth started clenching, “Is this a game to you?” 

The merman chuckled, “you’re wrong. It’s not something as pity as that.” 

And after that half-assed answer, he preferred not to ask any more questions. Hinata limited himself to sigh and stare at the sky, so the other wouldn’t annoy him that much. 

“I understand if you don’t want to talk to a piece of trash like me. That would what a human would actually think of me, right?” And so, Hinata didn’t say a thing, “I don’t blame you, and I won’t blame me either. Things are quite different for the both of us, so it’s not like we are at fault of—” 

“If you’re not going to help me, just disappear,” Hinata spat, closing his eyes in an attempt to go back to sleep once again. It almost impressed him how he managed to keep the other quiet once and for all. Also, he already had too many problems and talking with a fish-boy wasn’t going to help him at all, less if that merman wasn’t actually willing to help him in the end. 

“Humans can be more interesting than I thought, it seems,” he chuckled again, seeming disconcerted. 

And with an almost soundless dive, the merman disappeared. Hinata opened his eyes, and felt kind of relieved when there was no one to be seen around the boat area. 

But, despite the awful conversation he’d just had, he couldn’t help feeling kind of lonely in the end. 

* * *

Two days later, still abroad, Hinata began thinking the weird encounter had only been a bad and crazy dream. After all, there had not been any sign of the merman till then. Not that it bothered him at all, he wasn’t expecting anything from him in the end. 

There was no way he would waste energy thinking on that matter. And about energy… 

He felt weak, a weakness he’d never thought he’d have to go through. His eyes attempted to close all the time, even though he didn’t’ want to sleep at all. It not only bothered him, it was terrifying. He was probably dying and it was probably the cruellest death of them all: starvation. 

He didn’t have any more food left, and if his hopes weren’t dead by that time, then they’d just perished. Hinata sighed, hugging his legs in an attempt of covering from cold. Yes, it felt cold even if the weather hadn’t changed that much. 

It was over, wasn’t it? 

He didn’t know how much of night was left, but he knew that if sun didn’t come out as soon as possible he was surely going to die. He let his eyes close, and started trying to think of something, anything, else that wasn’t dying in cold and starving. 

Soon, he started to fall sleep again. But, in the end, he couldn’t even do that. 

Water started moving in a pretty unusual way, and Hinata just couldn’t ignore it even though he tried. However, after a few seconds, a familiar voice could be heard. 

“That’s disappointing. I didn’t think you’d fall that easily.” 

The lost boy opened his eyes, slowly. He couldn’t help frowning at the simple sight of the merman staring at him. “What the hell do you want now?” 

The merman rested both of his arms on the edge of the boat. “Isn’t it obvious?” 

“Well, yeah. You’re bothering me on purpose.” 

Hinata couldn’t think otherwise. Cold wouldn’t be that painful if he simple slept, night would pass by without him noticing. However, it seemed the merman had other plans for him. 

“Hm… If you think of me that way I can’t change your mind, I suppose,” he shuddered, as if he felt kind of offended. 

“Then just go away,” Hinata buried his head between his arms as he was hugging his legs. 

“So you rather surrender…” the merman sighed, “it’s a pity, I think you could actually make it if you don’t try to sleep.” 

Hinata lifted his head to stare once again at the other. “Then what else can I do?” 

“I don’t know… Trying to survive?” 

_Survive… How funny._

There was no telling how much longer he could still be holding on, and he’d already acknowledged that his life was probably going to end. So… what was the big deal? What was the point of trying to survive anyways? 

“Look,” the merman almost stifled a laugh, “I guess we both didn’t start quite well. I’m not here to drown you or something like that. After all, someone like me isn’t even capable to do that in the first place…” 

Hinata raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? You said you hated humans, so why wouldn’t you want to drown me?” 

“It’s not that I hate humans,” the merman argued, “I just despise their incompetence in situations like this.” 

Again, Hinata couldn’t help feeling pissed off. He was about to tell him to “go away” again, even though that it wasn’t going to work out anyways. 

“And no, I’m not talking about you. In fact, you’re doing splendid!” he started swimming around the boat, it was usual of him by now. “That’s why it’s sad to know you’re giving up. After all, instead of panicking you’re at your own pace. And you should use that for your own benefit, don’t you think?” 

Hinata never thought he would admit it, but the merman was right. 

He knew he could die, he knew there was nothing to hold on to. 

He wasn’t panicking, nor having any hope. 

And everything about that, every single thing, he had to use it to survive. 

Because, after all, he didn’t have anything else to try. 

“It seems you finally understand,” the boy in the water said. 

And indeed, he did understand. 

Giving up without even trying was just the easy way. And there was no point in sleeping and do nothing about his situation, after all. 

So… What was he waiting for? 

“I hope the little will of trying to survive doesn’t lead you towards despair, just like any other humans would do…” he sighed and lowered his gaze, he seemed sad. Soon, his eyes found Hinata once again. “But I know you’re not going to end like that.” 

Hinata sometimes wondered if everything that was happening was a dream or reality, and the other’s eyes felt like the final prove everything was magically real… And strange, really strange, but real in the end. 

“By the way, you have never told me your name. What a shame, I didn’t even ask before!” the merman even looked a little bit more reliable, and Hinata still wasn’t really sure why. “So, care to tell me who you are?” 

“Hajime Hinata…” he dry swallowed, still staring back at the other, “and you?” 

“Nagito Komaeda,” the merman stretched out an arm towards Hinata. His hand was cold, wet, and didn’t look like a human’s at all. A fin was attached to his forearm, and the webbed squamous hand didn’t feel pleasant to his eyes at first. But all of that, in the end, made all the situation even more ridiculously real. “I’m glad to meet you, Hinata-kun.” 

Hinata simply shrugged. After all, he didn’t think the same about him. 

“Uh… Such a despair inducing outcome,” the merman, Komaeda, sighed, “I really thought things between us would get better if we introduced ourselves.” 

“Get better?” Hinata’s voice finally didn’t sound hoarse, it was loud and clear. “You’re not even here to help me, you’re just happy to see how another human is dying. And yeah… I’m dying, are you happy about that?” Silence. Well, not proper silence. The waves kept on crashing against the boat and that sound was really driving Hinata crazy. He didn’t know if it was fortunate or not, but Komaeda broke the silence with another sigh. 

“I’m really sorry for explaining myself in such an awful way, maybe humans and merpeople aren’t meant to understand each other after all,” at that answer, Hinata’s frown deepened while the other didn’t seem to be bothered at all. “But the thing is… I didn’t mean that.” 

“Then what did you mean?” 

“It’s not that I don’t like humans, I even think I already told you about that though…” 

And Hinata felt even more annoyed than before. Yeah, maybe Komaeda said that in the first place but… His mind wasn’t at his best, his eyes struggled to focus properly and, after all, it was hard, surreal, to have a conversation with an actual merman. 

_At this point is not like I’m going crazy… I am already crazy._

“But don’t worry, Hinata-kun, I’ll explain it again to you…” 

Komaeda then started to swim around the boat again. This time, Hinata followed him with his gaze as he moved. He tried his best to listen to the merman, but it was kind of difficult to pay attention to someone who had a fish tail instead of two legs. 

“Every single human I witnessed in your same situation… They were so full of despair that the tiniest light of hope was able to drive them crazy. They panicked… They tried to kill me every single time they could. But that didn’t save them, it just drove them to the stupidity of a meaningless death.” 

After that… How could Hinata not feel annoyed? “Why a meaningless death? They’re lost… Afraid… It’s not stupid!” 

“It _is_ stupid… Because being afraid doesn’t make you think properly.” 

He then stopped swimming and got closer to the side where Hinata was on, his pale green eyes gave Hinata some shivers. In the middle of the night, they seemed to be shining a little bit. They were really something uncommon, exotically beautiful… 

Not that it would make him change his mind about Komaeda though. 

“For example, panicked humans would look under the boat in search for something, anything, to eat. But, thinking rationally, they’d be looking at the sky in search for those birds that guide mrn towards dry land instead.” 

_Is he_ _ta_ _lking about seagulls?_

_Well… That isn’t that important anyways._

“What I’m trying to say… is that you don’t seem like the kind who’s going to panic,” the merman shrugged. “It’s sad that you gave up on hope, but at least you’re not panicking.” 

“I suppose…” 

Hinata didn’t have the strength to keep on talking anymore. He didn’t know when the night would be over, he actually wanted it to be over as soon as possible. However, the conversation didn’t went as bad as he thought it would end up. 

In the end, he had to admit, he felt less cold and less nervous. 

He remembered the touch of Komaeda’s hand, that moment really far from reality. And his glowing green eyes… 

Probably that was the nature of merpeople… Not that he expected less from them. 

At least he had something interesting to think about while he was getting back to sleep again. He buried his head between his arms and legs and closed his eyes. Once again, only the usual and already boring sound of the sea could be heard. 

“Rest well, Hinata-kun. It’s nice that you… didn’t tell me to go away this time.” 

He was going to answer Komaeda but not only he didn’t have enough strength to lift his head again, but also his voice echoed in his mind and put him finally at ease. That was probably another attribute he had to keep in mind about merpeople. 

_If I get to live… I’ll probably write something about that._

And with that silly thought, he put himself to sleep. He didn’t know if Komaeda was still there or not, and at this point he just didn’t mind at all. 

+++++++ 

He didn’t know at what hour of the next day he woke up, the only thing he knew was that something woke him up. 

It couldn’t be the sound of the sea. He grew so accustomed by it that it just wouldn’t ever wake him up. So, instead, it had to be a sound he didn’t hear at all during his time abroad. Tiredly, his eyes opened. His vision wasn’t focused, but it didn’t mind much… there was nothing to see in front of him nevertheless. 

Even though he felt confused at first, soon his thoughts came together. 

“So I’m still here…” 

Every time he woke up he had the sudden little hope of realizing everything had been a dream. But no matter how many times he woke up, that wasn’t the case. 

However… How would everything that’d happened not be real? 

The only thing that could possibly be not part of his reality was that merman but then he remembered. 

_Nagito Komaeda was his name, right?_

He remembered his hand and the weird but incredibly real touch of it, his glowing eyes giving light to the darkness of the night… 

It was refreshing… 

At first the merman had him more than nervous, but the last time he appeared it kind of was a meeting Hinata needed to have. He even thought that conversation was the key to get over the awfully cold night. 

However, Komaeda wasn’t there. And if he wasn’t there, he couldn’t help having the feeling all those conversations had been part of his now crazy imagination. And even though he was confused about it, he was certain it helped him somehow. 

Mostly when he heard it. 

The usual cry from those birds, a sound pretty foreign for him until that moment… 

Suddenly, his tiredness disappeared and he quickly looked up. 

“Seagulls…?” 

And after that he couldn’t help remembering… 

“ _For example, panicked humans would look under the boat in search for something, anything, to eat. But, thinking rationally, they’d be looking at the sky in sear_ _ch for those birds that guide me_ _n towards dry land instead_.” 

“Those birds… 

…that guide men towards dry land.” 

For the first time since the accident, he was grabbing the boat’s oars and started rowing towards the directions those birds were going. 

“This is finally going to end,” Hinata said out loud, not caring that nobody was going to hear him. And after that, he shouted again. “This is finally going to end!” 

His enthusiasm was heavy, along with the pounding of his heart. 

Finally… Something to hold on to… 

Finally some hope. 

And talking about hope… 

“Well, hello there, Hinata-kun,” Komaeda suddenly came to the surface, he seemed to be agitated since he tried to follow the other’s boat, which was going pretty fast. “You seem quite more energetic than usual, did something happen?” 

But Hinata didn’t answer at all, in the moment he started to see in the distance an island, his sight focused on it until reaching the place. 

He had to hurry up, there was no time to waste. 

His only hope was on that island. 

He had to reach it. 

And he did. 

He really did. 

But, at first sight, there was nothing. The island was pretty small, and a not so deep jungle could be seen not too far from the shore. 

“So… this is…” Hinata’s eyes, the ones that were all bright a few minutes ago, were full of… disappointment. 

His focused gaze had him speechless, motionless. The only thing that put him out of that state was the boat slowly crashing into a small rock at the shore. Even so… his eyes were still locked on the scene. 

“Oh… Hinata-kun… You didn’t let me explain you this, I mean… Your boat was going really fast! I’m too slow… How troublesome,” Hinata, finally, turned his head around. His annoyed gaze was now fully directed towards Komaeda, who was resting on the other side of the rock he’d collided into. 

“What do you mean with ‘explain’?” he demanded, clearly angry. 

“I knew this island wouldn’t be your escape way, but you were so eager… so full of hope! I just couldn’t disappoint you, and even if I wanted to… You wouldn’t let me in the end.” 

Full of hope… 

Yes, he felt hopeful. 

And he lost that little bit of hope in less than a few minutes. There was no escape… It was so tragic, so full of despair… 

Even so… 

He gave one last piercing look at Komaeda and, with a long and heavy sigh, he got out of the boat and fell on the sand. It was hard to get up, but having the merman watching over him made him kind of stronger. He didn’t want to look weak against him, he just didn’t want to look like that. 

There was no way he would prove him humans were actually weak, he didn’t want to be another example of despair for him. 

He had to be strong. 

With the last drop of his strength to push the boat towards the shore so water wouldn’t take it away, grabbed a little bag he was saving there and… just started walking towards the inside. 

“Hey… Where’re you going?” He heard Komaeda’s voice in the distance, and barely turned around to answer him. 

“I don’t know… I’ll look for something I guess?” 

The last thing he heard was a “be careful!”, and he paid not much attention to that. Even so, before losing himself in the woods, he turned around towards the shore again. 

But, just like he expected, Komaeda was already gone. 

* * *

Hinata just couldn't complain that the only edible thing on that insignificant island were oranges. They were food at least... Or a drink, more specifically. Founding himself without anything to do after finishing grabbing as many oranges as he could, he went back to the shore again in hopes of fishing... 

He didn't try to fish on the boat because it was going to be useless, he had nothing to lure the fishes to him. Although oranges may not be the best way to lure them... But it wasn't like they would come right into his hand, wouldn't they? 

_Well... Komaeda is not a fish so that doesn't count, right?_

And talking about him, in the moment he finally thought a fish would surprisingly fall for the oranges, he found out the only one he could actually lure from the entire sea was Komaeda... And instead of being something helpful, it just was going to give him various headaches. 

"I don't know what you are doing throwing those things in the water, but it doesn't seem you’re doing it right," the merman spoke. 

"Well thanks, Komaeda..." he answered, sarcastically, "I just want to fish... And sorry if that's offends you, but I need to eat." 

"You don't have to worry about someone like me like that! After all, I need to eat fish too, you know?" 

"So... You can actually catch fishes?" Hinata asked, kind of hopeful and kind of annoyed. "Can you actually bring me a few of those?" 

"It wouldn't suppose much of a problem!" 

... 

_Then why didn't you do this in the first place?_

But that question obviously had an answer: Komaeda wasn't there to help him, Hinata knew that. He knew he was being a merman's experiment and, at that point, he didn't mind. After all, he was proving him wrong. Hinata was the vivid example humans weren't like the other thought, that he could actually think properly in his situation. 

Somehow, it all still felt like a puzzle that wasn't being solved. But, at least, the fact that he was winning was prove that his ideas were still clear. 

It didn't take long for Komaeda to turn back with a few fishes. Two trying to escape his webbed fingers and sharp nails, the other... 

"I'm so sorry you'll have to eat something that was in my mouth, but it was the only way I could bring it here," Komaeda said once he put the three fishes in front of Hinata. 

"It doesn't matter... More importantly, I don't know much about cooking them…" 

"Coo...king?" 

Well, it was pretty natural Komaeda wouldn't know about that. After all, how would a merman cook without...? 

"Fire... I need to light a fire!" 

Ignoring every single question Komaeda asked about the fire, Hinata made his way to find wood and more rocks. And once he was about to start his attempt at a campfire, Komaeda spoke again. This time, Hinata didn't ignore him. 

"What did you say?" He asked, turning his gaze towards the merman who was lying on the shore in front of him. He kind of ached to see the fish tail of the other with more detail. It was rare, of course, and his curiosity was getting him nervous. 

"Wouldn't it be better if you use the fire more during the night? You'd save the food for later and you wouldn't feel cold either!" 

"I wonder why you, a merman, know about stuff like feeling cold without a fire..." 

"We know humans... And that's also why humans don't know about us," at that, Hinata sighed and get up. Well, it seemed making a fire at that moment wasn't the best idea. 

"Okay... So, tell me," he started walking towards the other, "what else can I do then?" 

"Oh, I see... You're bored," Komaeda let himself be taken away by the few waves crashing on the shore, "why don't you swim a little bit?" 

"Do you think I even have time for 'swimming a little bit'?" Hinata frowned. 

"Do you want me to be honest?" Komaeda smiled, "Yes, you have time. You found a place where you can eat and drink and shouldn't be nervous. Save that for when you set sail again... 

"You..." 

Komaeda's started swimming around as he always did. It kind of annoyed Hinata by the fact he felt ignored when the other did that. But, at the same time, he couldn't take his eyes off Komaeda. He swam with grace, so synchronized with the sea. It made him... want to taste the water too. 

It was the middle of the day, a really sunny day. And the summer air was killing him... Maybe jumping into the water wasn't a bad idea. 

"You know what? You're right." 

Komaeda gave him another smile while he got on top a rock that was mostly covered by the sea. He couldn't help hesitating before going in, taking a step back. 

"Wait… How deep is it?" Hinata asked, he had to be cautious after all. 

"I didn't expect you to be the kind of jumping, Hinata-kun. But, to answer your question... Its deepness it's safe for you to jump." 

And no... Hinata wasn't someone who'd usually jump into the water like he was thinking to at the moment, less he would have thought he'd have the energy to take a swim in his situation. 

He had to admit that things got happier and less lonely since the moment he met Komaeda, even though at first glance he was the most annoying creature in the universe for him. Soon he became the source of all the peace he was feeling at that moment. It didn't feel that bad being lost in the middle of anywhere if he wasn't alone. And he had to admit, the island gave him the strength he was lacking of. 

It was time for him to feel relaxed at least for a moment. But Hinata didn't jump, he turned around instead. 

"Hm? What are you doing? Are you going to fall backwards?" 

"You said it was safe for me to jump, right?" Hinata asked, eyes closed. 

"Do you trust me?" 

That question made Hinata doubt a little bit but, after taking a deep breath, he let himself fall into the water. 

‘Do you trust me?’ had been Komaeda's question, and Hinata answered it without using any words. He trusted him more than anything else, because, after all, he made him feel safe. 

His mind got lost in the middle of the sea, his body being pulled under by the fall felt awesome. And the merman was right, its deepness was safe for him to jump in. He opened his eyes and he incredibly managed to see barely everything the sea had to offer. 

He was so lost in thought, until a familiar figure passed swimming above him. The moment he figured out Komaeda's fish tail passed by, Hinata then regained consciousness and swam back to the surface. 

He breathed all the air he could, filling his poor and thirsty lungs. 

"I actually thought you were going to drown. Don't ever scare me like that again, Hinata-kun," Komaeda exclaimed, and he truly sounded relieved. 

Hinata laughed... He was even starting to forget what laughter was until that moment, "Don't you trust me?" 

The merman seemed to be taken aback by that sudden question, which was the same he'd asked before himself, "I do think I trust you... Even if it's hard to trust a human." 

"How do I know you're not lying?" Hinata started playing with the water and splashed some of it on the other's face. Komaeda laughed and did the same as well. "Can you prove it?" 

"If you prove it first," at that, the merman stretched out his arm, the same one he used when they introduced each other. "Want to swim with me?" 

"Sure thing,” Hinata took his hand, "but if you try to kill me I'll defend myself. You're warned." 

"Well, don't worry about that because it's not going to happen." 

Soon, he got dragged underwater again. It didn't feel like the first time, he didn’t feel as numb as before. He had all his senses focused but, at the same time, he let himself be leaded by the merman. He swam along him, and for the first time Hinata was able to see his fish tail up close. It had mostly the colour of Komaeda’s eyes: glowing pale green; but it also had a few details in red. It was out of Hinata’s world, he could have never imagined something like that being real. 

It seemed like Komaeda realized he was being stared at, so he stopped moving forward and swam backwards, just to be face to face to Hinata. If the latter were able to breathe, he would’ve gasped. Komaeda’s glowing eyes looked more human underwater but, somehow, deeper and… more beautiful. Maybe it was the water twisting his sight, but it truly felt different. 

The merman smiled at him, and being just a few inches of the other’s face… 

Hinata felt like he was pulling closer… 

Until the merman swam to the surface and, fortunately, Hinata remembered he needed to breathe. 

Once up there, it was hard for him to stare at Komaeda at his eyes. 

_This is so lame…_

The merman teased him about how pitiful it was that humans couldn’t be underwater for too long, but Hinata couldn’t care less. He was so lost in thought… 

He even started thinking that if he looked at Komaeda right in the eyes again, he’d get hypnotized or something. Merpeople seemed to be quite interesting somehow… 

After wandering for maybe longer than expected, he decided to go back to the shore. It had been too much curiosity for just one afternoon. 

* * *

Somehow, Hinata managed to light a fire. Somehow, he cooked the fishes. And somehow, he felt peaceful, as if nothing bad was happening… As if he wasn’t still lost and without a clue of where he was. 

Fake calmness wasn’t that bad after all. 

It impressed him that Komaeda stayed by him all day long, it was night time and they both were sitting by the shore, watching the waves come back and forth, and the only source of light was the little campfire Hinata’d made. 

At night the water was cooler, but he didn’t feel cold at all. Having Komaeda by his side he simply couldn’t feel cold. The warmth of the company was something he would’ve never seen coming from someone like that merman, but he was glad it felt like it. 

But, even so, he still didn’t get it… 

He frowned and kept a focused gaze on the crashing waves, it seemed Komaeda noticed about that. 

“Did something happen, Hinata-kun?” that question only give him more mysteries to solve. It was still kind of weird how the merman would usually call his name, but he didn’t do the same back… Was he being rude? 

“It’s just… I don’t understand you so much,” he was still staring at the front. “At first, you claimed you wouldn’t help me because you were actually testing me… But you’re here, you were here with me the whole day… And it didn’t seem like a test at all.” 

He wouldn’t have felt so relaxed if he felt he was utterly alone in his deadly journey, but Komaeda was his company. It may not have looked like that at first but… 

“You changed your mind, didn’t you? At first you truly weren’t willing to help me but, somehow, you made up your mind. Isn’t that right?” then he finally gained the courage to face the other, though it took him by surprise when he realized he was, in fact, being stared at back. It all went silent for a moment, until Komaeda muffled a little laugh. 

“You sure aren’t like any of the humans I’ve encountered before you, you’re much more perceptive and nicer than any of them.” 

“What do you mean?” Hinata didn’t feel like he’d been nice to the merman at first, he even wanted him to go away… How awful must had been the other encounters for him to be the nicest one? “How were… those encounters?” 

“I think I already told you a bit? They were all so full of despair that my presence became hope to them. But, unfortunately, that hope was only despair in disguise,” Komaeda sighed and looked down, but kept his usual smile on his face. “They tried catch me, to eat me… things people like me are already warned that could happen. Humans sure are dangerous…” 

Hinata turned his head back towards the sea. Were humans really that bad? 

Well… He knew it actually was like that. 

“I just got annoyed by humans’ presence… It was natural, you see. So I started this testing game to see if you were just like the others. In that case, no, I wouldn’t have drowned you… But I would have let you die by yourself… Because humans taught me that that was the right thing to do.” 

“I… Kind of get it…” it made him a little bit sad, how humans could be so stupid and selfish sometimes… 

“But then… you just didn’t mind about my presence and simply wanted me to go away!” When Hinata turn back to Komaeda, his smile didn’t look sad anymore. 

“And then you changed your mind about the test and just tried to help me in a very subtle way, didn’t you?” 

“At first I wasn’t going to help… I just had a little feeling you were different and held on to that hope but... I was being cautious though.” 

“But you helped me anyways…” 

Komaeda shrugged and closed his eyes, “I suppose that yes… I wanted to help you somehow.” 

Hinata stared at him for a moment, and for the first time since the accident… he felt happy. He was happy that he wasn’t alone, that someone took care of him somehow… He felt like all the suffering was worth something. If he weren’t lost and nowhere to be found, he’d be the happiest person on the planet. 

The merman soon opened his eyes and stared back at him, smiling. His eyes were glowing again, and even though Hinata’d promised himself not to get lost at them again, he couldn’t help it. 

A lock of Komaeda’s curly and messy white hair fell in front of his face. It was the first time Hinata saw his hair dry, and it looked good. Even so, he got closer to brush it off his face. 

_This is more pat_ _hetic than I thought it was going to_ _be…_

But that thought disappeared once he realized Komaeda didn’t mind much about it. Hinata’s heart pounded so much, he could promise that the other’s eyes were driving him crazier than he already was. 

It was so mesmerizing that he couldn’t stop himself from moving closer and closer to the other’s face, until there was no space between them. And so, Hinata pressed his lips against Komaeda’s. It didn’t taste like a normal kiss would do. It tasted like the ocean: serene, deep and full of mystery. The salty taste gave it the unique touch to it… 

It was just after they separated that Hinata realized what he had done, but he didn’t regret it at all. It was the merman who stared back at him confused, tilting his head to one side. 

“What was that?” he obviously asked. 

Hinata gave him a smile, and trying to hid his little embarrassment he turned back his gaze again towards the sea. “It’s a way to say ‘thank you’ humans usually use, what do you think about it?” 

The other seemed to be speechless a few seconds before laughing sheepishly in the end. “Well… that was pretty cute. Humans can be really impressive sometimes!” 

“I’m happy to hear that…” 

And he truly was. After everything that’d happened, a little bit of happiness had waited for him and he wouldn’t change that moment for anything in the world. He knew he had to go back to look for another place, but meanwhile… He wanted to enjoy the little things. The fire, the sea, Komaeda’s head resting on his shoulder… 

Hinata smiled again and closed his eyes. 

The island wasn’t the hope he had been looking for. 

It was Komaeda the one he had to hold on to. 

The one that gave him hope. 

He wouldn’t change that merman for anything in the world. 

Not even finding his way back home. 

* * *

He would have never thought sleeping on the sand would be so comfortable. Well, more than sleeping in a boat it surely was. After a day full of rushing emotions, it was no surprise he’d need to sleep a lot to regain the lost energy. But he knew that as soon as he woke up, he’d have to start preparing himself to set sail. 

Not that he wanted though… 

Only one day had been able to cure him from the pain and loneliness he felt abroad, and now he was going to lose it. Somehow, he didn’t think it was the right choice leaving, and it may had been shown on his face since Komaeda seemed preoccupied about him. 

“It’s nothing. I just… don’t think this is right…” 

“Trying to go back to your place? That’s what you think is not the right thing to do? Because I think you’re pretty wrong, Hinata-kun…” 

“It’s not that I don’t want to come back…” 

_It’s just that I don’t know whether I’ll come back or not…_

Hinata was scared. Before, he assumed his life was going to end and just didn’t care. But that island… No, Komaeda being with him on that island… 

He didn’t want to lose any of it. And both dying and coming back home were taking _him_ away. At that thought, he couldn’t help sighing. 

_I can’t believe I got attached so much to that bastard…_

And maybe that was the only thing having him more worried he should have been. At first he even didn’t have anything to worry about in the first place, but then… 

Things started to get complicated… 

The following days since the accident had been clearer than they should have. No clouds in the sky, no rain, no wind, nothing… 

It was perfect for him to survive, but Hinata couldn’t stop staring at the few clouds in the sky. 

“Do you think it’s going to rain?” he asked Komaeda, who now was always there for him… hopefully. 

“I really hope it doesn’t, but I can’t say for sure.” 

That answer wasn’t helpful at all, Hinata just couldn’t take his eyes off the clouds that were growing bigger little by little as the time passed by. 

“Look, you don’t have to worry… You survived worse things, right? You can survive anything that comes against you!” Komaeda tried to help, but it just couldn’t take all Hinata’s worries away. 

“Are… Are you sure you don’t know which way I should go?” Hinata directed his gaze towards Komaeda, “I mean… we both speak the same language, right? That means… The place where I live can’t be too far from here, right?” 

“I… I really don’t know, Hinata-kun… It’s not like I’d like knowing which way humans live, after all…” 

“That’s... right…” 

Silence took over, soon even Komaeda looked preoccupied. And the weather was accompanying them in terms of feelings, the sun was long gone by now. Only grey covering the whole sky. 

“Hey… Are you alright?” Hinata asked the merman, kind of ironically. 

“Just… don’t fall in despair… Please…” when he looked up at him, Hinata could see the other’s glowing eyes staring back with fear inside them, but Komaeda didn’t take long to give at least a little smile. “It would be bad if I have to take back everything I said about humans. After all, you’re showing no difference… What a shame…” 

At that, Hinata’s face changed drastically. From sadness and worry, to annoyance and determination, “Are you even serious?” 

“You’re showing that, don’t you see?” Komaeda seemed to be bragging. 

Hinata thought those kind of feelings were long lost… But they both seemed to find them again. And as the weather seemed to be following every word they said, thunders could be heard from afar, and the sea started to move pretty much more than usual. 

“If you give up now…” Komaeda’s face was enlightened by the sharp fall of a lightning not too far from them, “I will be so disappointed…” 

“Fine, don’t worry,” Hinata said, words sounding loud and clear, worry became a distant feeling to him once again. He grabbed the oars and tried as much as he could to take control over the boat, “it’s not like I get disappointed easily.” 

And so, their conversation ended. What did not actually end was the big storm threatening him. Hinata felt just like when the ship he was in with his parents was set on fire. He didn’t want to remember that, but it reminded so much to it that he couldn’t help feeling scared at all. 

Maybe this time he wouldn’t be so lucky to be saved so easily… 

Waves were strong, he didn’t realize until then that water had so much power and that it didn’t have to be underestimated. And the worst of it all, it was that Komaeda disappeared completely from his sight, he was nowhere to be found. 

_Now…_ _I really can’t believe I got attached so much to that bastard…_

He was scared, lost, and alone. 

Once again. 

Just like it all started. 

And no matter how much he tried to fight back the waves moving and crashing hard into the boat, he couldn’t control them. He didn’t want to give up, the last thing he wanted was to admit Komaeda had been always right in the end. No, he would never give up. 

He was strong. 

He wasn’t like the others. 

He could survive. 

He could… 

He… 

And as if all those ferocious waves seemed to be tired of not being able to take him down, a wave that Hinata didn’t see coming threatened him. It was huge, enormous, and he realized about it being too late… 

The only thing he could do was… pray… 

Really, there was no way out. He closed his eyes and surrendered. 

“You win this time… bastard…” 

He muttered under his breath, before the wave crashed into him with all his might. Hinata was taken underwater, and couldn’t help remembering his time at the island. 

Happy times… 

But instead of that, he was living a tragedy. Instead of feeling lost in peace, he was in pain. Water wasn’t calm, it was cold. And it wasn’t like he didn’t want to swim to the surface, he simply couldn’t. 

There was no way out, everything hurt him. He somehow tried to remember those happy and peaceful times, but the thought of Komaeda with him wasn’t good anymore… It just pained that he truly was going to die that alone, and in a very disappointing way also. He remembered seeing Komaeda’s fish tail swimming above him when they were in the island’s shore, the memory was so vivid that when Hinata could barely open his eyes under the water he felt that he saw a silhouette of a fish tail swimming above him. 

_Wait…_

_No…_

_It can’t be…_

He was taken back to the surface, and as soon as he regained all the lost breath, his vision focused and could finally see clear. Komaeda was staring back at him. And even though the water was cold, knowing he was back there kept him warm… 

“Why… you?” he was trying his best to keep in place, the sea was still heavy and messy. 

And before Komaeda could manage to answer that question, another hideous wave came by to brutally crash on them both. But, unlike the first time, Hinata’s body didn’t go too deep. He was caught by Komaeda’s arms. It felt good, but that didn’t make the situation less deadly. 

The force of the water tried to break them apart, but Hinata didn’t let go of Komaeda’s grip even though he struggled a lot. He wouldn’t let go, no matter how much longer the storm would threaten to make him give up. 

He had to make his best. Not matter how low the water might want to pull him, not matter how bad the situation was. 

He just couldn’t give up. 

But he was losing so much his breath that it didn’t take long for him to doze off. He didn’t know when and how he got his head above water once again. 

Oh, right… Komaeda was in front of him. When he looked around, he too found out the boat he was in had been destroyed to pieces and that he was floating in one of them. Storm was gone, but rain still poured. So, things didn’t clear at all. 

He stared back at Komaeda, eyes tired and hard to focus. 

“I think you win this time…” Hinata said, voice hoarse. He tried to get the best grip to the piece of wood he was in, but it also was pretty difficult. He felt so weak… 

“W-What do you mean?” Komaeda’s eyes widened, “Are you giving up?” 

Hinata struggled to smile at the other, even though he felt tears wanting to come out of his eyes, “I don’t want to die… But I always knew this was going to happen sooner or later.” 

“You—” 

“Anyways,” he stopped Komaeda’s words, because he didn’t know how much time he’d have left to speak. Everything felt cold, and cooler as the minutes passed by, “I wanted to thank you… I’m sure that without you this journey would have been more painful…” 

Hinata wouldn’t deny that, at first, he felt annoyed by the merman’s presence. But, as time passed by, thing got different. He realized his journey towards death was one full of emotions and magic. Because that was one of the things that came to his mind when it was about Komaeda: magic. 

If he was going to sleep forever, he’d rather do it thinking about his time at the island. Swimming at ease… that was what he wanted to remember. His eyes were closed, but not his senses. He could feel his body all cold, the pouring rain falling over him, the light wind howling… 

He had to keep his mind on those peaceful things, even though they were the ones killing him. 

And above those feelings, the warmth of other’s lips against his made his mind shift drastically. He could recognize that kiss easily, only _he_ could kiss him with those salty oceanic lips. It was hard to open his eyes, but he really wanted to give one last glance at Komaeda. 

“Why…?” he miraculously managed to ask. 

The merman smiled back at him, still holding onto the same wood Hinata was resting on, “I just wanted to thank you.” 

_Oh… right…_

It even made Hinata show a glimpse of a smile at remembering that first kiss. 

“You made me realize… That there’s hope left in some humans like yourself,” and even though Komaeda’s words sounded sad, he was smiling as if he felt fulfilled. 

And that meant… “I won… Or almost win…” 

“You win…” Komaeda reassured, and it was the last thing Hinata heard from him. It didn’t take long for him to lose consciousness… 

It all went pitch black, and he couldn’t even feel the cold anymore. 

It was all over… wasn’t it? 

… 

Was it? 

… 

* * *

“It seems he’s actually breathing!” 

“Is he…? Oh my! Yes, he is!” 

“Hey, can you hear us… Hey!” 

“Owari! Don’t be impatient! He’s just regaining his strength!” 

“I’m sorry…” 

… 

Hinata could hear the waves, but his body didn’t feel cold anymore. The rain seemed to have already stopped, and the wind wasn’t a problem anymore. 

Even so… Why could he hear those voices? 

Didn’t he… die? 

… 

Or not? 

Kind of confused and taken by surprise, he gained the little strength to open his eyes. It was hard to focus his sight, but he could notice there was a tanned girl above him, and behind there were another girl and two boys. 

“Hey… Are you even alive?” the first one, Owari seemed to be her name, asked. 

“I… What…?” he couldn’t move at all, and it wasn’t like he understood much of the situation either. 

“You… You have to thank that we were able to see you from here and that Nidai-san went to save you. If that didn’t happen, you’d be dead,” the sharp words from the second girl lingered in Hinata’s mind… 

You’d be dead… 

Dead… 

Death… 

“Am I not dead yet?” he asked out loud, not being able to control his thoughts and his tongue properly. 

“Well, you wouldn’t be talking if you were, right?” a strong voice could be heard, it made Hinata’s ears hurt. That was probably the guy who actually saved him, Nidai was his name. 

He tried to get up but his arms wouldn’t move. However, he was helped by the people surrounding him. And when he could finally stand up… It felt weird. 

Behind him it was the calm sea, clouds were going away. And, on the other hand, there was a beach and people surrounding him. 

Did he really made it? 

With the mere thought of that, he started feeling dizzy. And it didn’t take long for him to doze off once again. 

When he woke up, he was in a hospital bed. Naturally, that was what he really needed: control. It was no surprise for him to find the guys from the beach in the same hospital room he was in, they surely were the ones that took them there. 

When they asked about how he got in that weird situation, being lost in the middle of the sea, he had to talk about the accident and that he’d been almost a whole week lost. 

“But… Excuse me, how did you managed to survive to this point?” the blonde girl in the group asked, she seemed preoccupied. 

“Well… I wasn’t alone…” Hinata started talking again. 

“Wait, weren’t you the only one to survive? Did I miss something?” Owari asked, her confused gaze could be easily mistaken for annoyance. 

Hinata swallowed dry and clarified his words, “It wasn’t someone from there…” 

“Then it has to be someone from the ocean, right? It had to be a mermaid!” the blonde girl shouted excitedly, her eyes shining. 

“Well… Kind of?” Hinata was nervous, and his words didn’t sound well at all. Maybe he just wasn’t prepared to have a conversation like that one. 

“Sonia-san, there’re no such things as ‘mermaids’. That guy’s just crazy!” one of the boys, the one with pink hair, spoke. 

“Souda-san! Don’t be so rude!” the girl, Sonia, sounded offended by him, as if her dreams had been crushed into pieces. 

“Well… you don’t have to pay attention to me, he might be right in the end...” and as Hinata didn’t want to have that conversation, he simply tried to avoid the subject once and for all. 

Even though he may have sounded crazy when it came to Komaeda, even though nobody would ever believe him… 

He knew he was real. If he wasn’t… how did their kisses feel so real and powerful? It wasn’t a dream, less a nightmare, for sure. Even so… 

“But… I can assure that someone helped… And I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for that help.” 

No matter how much he hated him at first, he really felt attached to him. The only reason why he reached the first island was because of him, and the only way he could have reached the shore… 

It had to be his doing. 

He was sure. 

After all, wasn’t he supposed to be dead? 

When he looked through the windows of the hospital. He saw the sea, the sea that made him lose his family, the sea that made him have the most tragic and magical journey of his life. And bad things didn’t weight so much just because of that. Because every time he thought about the bad things, he simply had to remember that he wasn’t alone. 

Not even in the middle of the sea he was alone. 

And within his heart, he’d keep Komaeda’s memory as his one and only hope. He’d want to see him again, somehow. He’d try. 

Now that he realized what hope actually meant, he wouldn’t disappoint anybody. One day he’d find him. One day, everything would feel more real than what it already felt. 

After all, he had hope. He had Komaeda’s magic and hope within him. 

And he would always hold on to it, no matter what. 


End file.
